


The Beauty in the Beast

by suseagull04



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Beauty and the Beast Elements, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-03-29 20:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19027168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suseagull04/pseuds/suseagull04
Summary: Regina had given up all hope when two events destroyed her life forever. But can a bookworm and his son show her that she can still have a happy ending?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write this for awhile, and finally got to thanks to OQ Prompt Party 2019! Enjoy!

Robin stood outside of his favorite bookstore, nervously fingering the wallet in his pocket. He knew he shouldn’t be going into the book shop; he’d already bought three new books this week that he just had to read but had yet to pick up. But the books called to him, onyx ink and cream-colored pages speaking of worlds unknown to him that he just had to explore for himself- and take his son Roland along for the adventure, if the book was age-appropriate for a four-year-old. 

The two often went into Sherwood Forest to read, blanket, snacks, and drinks in tow, but Robin never ventured very far into the forest with his son, due to the bears and other predators that lurked in the forest’s depths. He often wondered what other secrets the woods were hiding, all the while doubting he would ever find out. He often dreamed of adventure, but the only adventure in Nottingham rested in the pages of his precious books. 

Shaking himself out of his reverie- an occurrence that happened far more frequently than he’d care to admit- and breathing deeply, he started to walk away, then turned back and wrenched the door open, the bell over the doorframe letting the owner know that a new customer- or rather, a very familiar one, as Robin frequented this bookshop on an almost daily basis- had entered.

Inside, the store was quiet, a reader’s only distraction from the books that filled every shelf the soft music that was being played by a pianist in the far corner of the shop. Robin began browsing the shelves, reading the back cover and inside flap of this book and that, before he spotted the proprietor, a petite woman in her thirties named Belle French who had an Australian accent, long, curly brown hair, and blue eyes, sitting on one of the shop’s many comfortable pieces of furniture reading. 

He smiled to himself. Like him, Belle was a self-professed bookaholic who could never put down a good book, whether it was a psychological thriller or children’s book meant for someone a quarter of her age. This meant that no matter what book she was reading, she was always oblivious to everything around her. She likely hadn’t heard Robin enter her shop, and he decided to take advantage of that and have a little fun.

He approached her from behind, taking advantage of her stupor to sneak up behind her. When he had gotten close enough, he put his hands on both of her shoulders, leaned in, close to her ear, and said, “Boo.”

“Robin!” Belle yelled, turning around so fast that Robin didn’t have time to back away, so the tips of her hair brushed Robin’s nostrils. “Why would you do something like that?!? You of all people know what it’s like to get lost in a good book, and this one’s really good, I haven’t been able to put it down since I started reading it after I opened the shop this morning.”

“You know I know what that’s like, which is why I’m here,” Robin reminded her. “I want a new book. Do you have any recommendations for me?”

“You were just here yesterday when my new shipment came in, so I haven’t gotten anything new since then, and I only just finished putting those books on the shelves late last night,” Belle reminded him with a laugh. The fingers of one hand cupped her chin as she pondered. “Wait, I do have something that was at the bottom of a box in that last order I think might spark your interest… Follow me.”

She stood, walking to the back of the store as Robin followed. They ended up in the section Belle reserved for myths and legends, a part of the store that Robin sometimes visited, but not frequently enough for him to think that Belle would lead him here when he asked for a new book. “What did you get that I would like that can be found here?” he asked her.

She scanned the shelves, then finally found the book she wanted, handing it over for him to inspect. 

His eyes were immediately captivated by the picture of the woman on the front cover. She had long ebony hair that was swept up into an elaborate updo. Her dress was a vibrant sapphire, in a style that drew his attention to her slender waist and full, exquisite red lips. The title read The Beast in the Beauty, and he saw that the slim book was written by Isaac Heller.

“What is this?” he breathed, intrigued. He opened the front cover and read the description on the left-hand side:

Legend has it that the towering trees of Sherwood Forest conceal a dark secret. For deep in the forest, it is said that a hidden castle stands, keeping its dark secrets hidden from the world. 

A monster is said to live in the castle, feasting on the hearts of all who dare to enter its walls. The monster prowls about the forest at night, visiting towns to rip out villagers’ hearts, devouring them until there is nothing left.

But can this beautiful woman really be a monster? What is her true story? Read the pages of this book to judge for yourself if this is the tale of a beauty or a beast.

“Interesting…” Robin said, closing the book, but not relinquishing it back to Belle.

Belle nodded in agreement. “It’s a local legend, you haven’t heard of it?”

“Some bits and pieces of the tale, yes,” Robin admitted. ‘But you know the people of this town, and you know me. They gossip about anything and everything, while I like to keep to myself and not judge a book by its cover, literally or otherwise. Give me a day with Roland or-“ he got choked up for a second as he remembered the love of his life, “even better, a chance to see my Marian again, over time listening to those gossipmongers spin tall tales any day. So every time I’ve started to hear the story, I’ve tuned it out.”

“And you’ve only been living here since a year before Roland was born, so you weren’t here when these events supposedly happened a decade ago,” Belle pointed out. “Neither was I, I came here just after they occurred. But maybe the pages of this book contain more truth than those rumors.”

“Perhaps,” Robin mused, looking again at the beautiful woman on the cover. She seemed so sad to Robin, like something had happened to turn her into the “beast” that Heller described. Whatever it took, he was going to uncover the truth.

He glanced at the darkening sky through the window. “Oh, look what time it is, I’ve got to run. How much do I owe you?”

Belle peered up at him, cocking her head to the side. “You know what, this one’s on me,” she said. “You’re really into this, aren’t you?”

“I am,” Robin confirmed, his eyes transfixed once more on the stunningly beautiful face of the woman on the cover of the book. “I want to know the truth of her story, to know who this woman really is. Because somehow, I suspect that there’s so much more to her than meets the eye, or even than the legend suggests.”

“Then take it,” Belle told him gently, placing her hand on top of the fingers that were still clutching the book like a lifeline. “And find out the truth, so we can put an end to those scoundrels’ lies.”

Robin thanked her, then walked out of the shop, his eyes never leaving the image of the woman on the cover of the book Belle had just given him. He glanced back just long enough to see Belle watching him, an enigmatic smile on her lips.

He was so consumed by his own thoughts that he ran into someone walking on the street. The book that had monopolized his attention ever since he had caught sight of the cover fell into the puddle at his feet, splattering mud on his jacket and the emerald skirt of the woman he had collided with.

Robin groaned inwardly. He was sure he knew who that skirt belonged to.

Sure enough, he looked up to see bright red curls and met the icy blue eyes, so much colder than Belle’s, of Zelena Greene. They had been in the same year in the village school, and when Robin had moved away, then returned to the village to start a family, Zelena had set her sights on him, attentions that Robin had never asked for. Zelena had always been conceited, vain to the point of embarrassment, and he had never wanted anything to do with her, as children or adults.

“Robbie!” she said excitedly. “Fancy seeing you here!”

He groaned, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “Zelena, how many times do I have to tell you that I hate, and I truly do mean hate, being called ‘Robbie’?”

“Oh, I think a few more should do the trick,” Zelena purred as she attempted to loop her arm through his.

“Zelena, what will it take for you to leave me alone?” an exasperated Robin asked desperately, backing away from her.

“Oh, nothing too complicated, just have dinner with me,” Zelena told him dismissively. “Just don’t bring any of those ridiculous books you’re always reading- your attention should be focused on me, and only me. And then that dinner will turn into two, three, then we’ll get engaged and married, have beautiful daughters who look just like me…”

“Zelena, I’m going to stop you right there,” Robin interrupted her. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to have dinner with you, let alone marry you?”

“But Robbie, any man would love to be in your shoes,” Zelena protested. “Picture it: you and me cuddled up by a fire, you giving me a pedicure after you’ve served me dinner, me lounging after a hard day of being- well, the gorgeous creature standing here before you-“

“ENOUGH!” Robin shouted, finally unable to stand being in Zelena’s presence any longer. “None of those things will ever happen. You might find those things someday,” he glanced down at the woman on the cover of The Beast in the Beauty. “But I can promise you that it will never, I repeat: never, happen with me!”

He sidestepped her, picked up The Beast in the Beauty and continued to walk home. 

“You really should go see Doctor Hopper!” Zelena shouted after him, running to try to catch up to his long strides. “It’s unhealthy, the number of books you read and the amount of time you spend reading them. You need a healthy dose of reality, and reality starts with a life with me!”

Robin groaned, quickening his pace until her voice faded into the distance. As he walked, he looked down at the book’s cover, the picture of the woman now blurred by mud from when he had run into Zelena. He couldn’t stand to see mud smearing that beautiful dress, clouding those piercing brown eyes that held so much mystery and sadness that he wanted to soothe. 

When he arrived at his family’s cottage, his four-year-old son Roland ran out to meet him. “Papa, Papa, come see what I made today!” He grabbed Robin’s hand, dragging him to their backyard, which led right into the beginnings of Sherwood Forest.

Near the forest’s edge- too close for Robin’s comfort, considering this meant that his young son had been this close to the forest on his own- lay a little house. Sticks, twigs and leaves had been constructed to form a little hut no bigger than a caterpillar. Roland proudly showed his father the windows and doors he had inserted so that whatever creature lived in the house had a place to live that he declared was “just as good as our house, Papa!”

“Indeed, it is,” Robin praised the child, kneeling to take in the details of the hut more carefully. It never ceased to amaze him how much creativity and imagination his son had, or how kindhearted he was. While only one of those things could be somewhat attributed to him, he had inherited both creativity and kindness from his mother, who had had both in spades. She had been the one to decorate their little cottage, using what resources they had to place a blanket here, a painting there, to turn their house into a home. By the time she was done, it felt more like a home than Robin had thought would be possible after only a day’s work.

His heart ached. Now what had been a fun moment shared with his son was soured, darkened by memories of his late wife. Roland shared her dark hair, eyes, and complexion, and had only his dimples as physical proof that he was his father’s son.

“Papa, I’m hungry,” Roland complained, tugging on his father’s sleeve. 

“All right, let’s go get the hungry builder something to eat!” Robin replied, picking his son up and setting him on his shoulders before walking back inside. “I bet Mummum has cooked something delicious for us for dinner.”

His mother, Ryleigh Locksley, met them at the entrance to their cottage. While she shared Robin’s blue eyes, she had auburn hair that was finally interwoven with strands of grey, her age something that wasn’t easily noticeable via a cursory glance.

“I see the busy beaver has found his father,” she said with a fond smile.

“Indeed,” Robin answered. “What delectable dish have you prepared for us this evening?”

“Why don’t you come in and find out?” she replied. Roland and Robin followed her inside the cottage.

After a dinner of soup and helping his son bathe, Roland asked for Robin to tell him a bedtime story. He pointed to The Beast in the Beauty. “Papa, read that one to me! Please? She’s pretty!”

Robin chuckled. Apparently his son had the same taste in women as he did, even at four years old. “I don’t know, Roland, that might be a story for when you’re older,” Robin told his son hesitantly. “How about you let me read it first, then if I think it’s not too scary, we can read it together?”

“Yes, Papa,” Roland readily agreed. 

Once his son was tucked in, Robin sat by the fire and stared for a moment at the cover of the book Belle had given him earlier that day. He was eager to learn this mysterious woman’s story, to decide for himself whether those mesmerizing features belonged to the beast everyone thought she was, or if she was more beautiful inside and out than any of the villagers of Nottingham ever gave her credit for. 

With those thoughts, he opened the book and began to read.

******** 

Not many miles away in the depths of Sherwood Forest, Regina paced the halls of her castle, the wind howling and blowing around her through the gaping holes in the ceiling. The burns she had acquired a decade previously still haunted her, by their presence if no longer by the physical pain. They were a constant reminder of her grief and the events that had led her to roaming the halls of a dilapidated castle, as was the portrait that hung in front of her.

She reached out, her claws scraping the portrait, but leaving its focus intact. As much as she despised this reminder of her pain, she couldn’t bear to bring any harm to two of the five people it portrayed, even if it was only their images and she had brought so much grief to others’ lives, including the remaining three people in the painting. 

Roaring with a mixture of frustration, grief, and anger, she turned and walked briskly away, leaving the portrait that was a constant reminder of what had been and what might have been behind her where it belonged.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Ryleigh told Robin that she was going to go to the neighboring town to find Roland a birthday present. 

“And I’ll be going through Sherwood Forest, it’s the fastest way,” she said as she put a spare dress into her carpetbag and pulled on her navy coat, wrapping a red scarf around her neck. 

“Are you sure that’s the best decision? There are all manner of creatures in those woods, you know,” Robin reminded her, not mentioning the story he had read the night before. He didn’t think he believed the tale Heller had spun around the queen featured in his book, so it wasn’t something he thought worth mentioning to his mother. But it was proven without contestation that the forest contained large predatory animals, and he wanted to make sure his mother understood the risk she was taking.

“Robin, I’ll be fine,” Ryleigh reassured Robin, giving him a hug goodbye.

“Mummum? Where are you going?” Roland asked, his stuffed bear still clutched in his arms as he joined the adults.

Ryleigh knelt beside the small boy. “I’m just taking a little trip to the next town,” she told him, pulling him in for a warm hug. “Don’t worry, Mummum will be right back to play with you again in three days.”

“That’s so long!” Roland pouted. “Why are you going to be gone so long, Mummum?”

“I have some things I need to do, and I want to make sure I have enough time to do them and not travel when it’s dark,” his mother answered her grandson.

Roland nodded sagely. “That’s a smart idea. It gets scary at night.”

Robin pulled his son off his mother and placed his feet firmly on the wood floor beneath them. “It is indeed. So we need to let Mummum leave, yeah?”

“Okay,” his son pouted, crossing his tiny arms and looking down at the floor.

With that, Ryleigh left and Robin and Roland continued with their busy day, Robin thinking of as many activities as he could to entertain his son so he didn’t miss his mummum too much. These activities included a stop by their favorite bookstore, where he thanked Belle profusely for introducing him to the story of the mysterious queen. For as skeptical as he was about some of the “facts” Isaac Heller presented, he knew he wouldn’t rest until he had met the queen on the cover of the book and learned the truth of the tale she had to tell.

Belle simply gave him a small, secretive smile when Robin told her of his thoughts on finding the queen and exposing the villagers’ rumors for what they were. “I think you’ll find more than you ever imagined,” she told him.

Surprised, Robin raised his eyebrows. “Belle, do you know more than you’re telling me?”

“No, of course not,” Belle denied quickly- too quickly, Robin thought. He wondered what else the bookseller knew, and why she had kept it from him as he walked out of her shop. Glancing back, he saw her watching him, a gleam in her eyes he couldn’t comprehend.

******** 

Regina lay on the floor of her room, the cold stone only affecting the parts of her that were covered in skin and burns, the fur on the rest of her body helping the portions covered in burn scars stay warm. Pushing herself up, she heard a commotion echoing up from the basement. Strange, dinner’s long over, she thought.

She made her way down to the kitchens, but before she reached the basement, she heard voices coming from the dining room.

“Don’t worry madam, we’ll have you nice and warm before the fire in no time,” she heard Baelfire say in a soothing voice she normally only heard him use with Emma and, at one time, their son Henry.

Her heart ached at the thought of Henry, and it was that gaping hole in her chest that fueled her anger as she propelled herself into the dining room. 

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” she demanded in a roar so loud it shook the plates in their cabinet. Baelfire, Killian, Emma, and several other servants were standing around the table, surrounding an older woman with graying auburn hair and blue eyes that showed her terror at Regina’s appearance who was wearing a long pink dress that looked comfortable. She must have been traveling, but why would she stop here, in MY castle? Regina wondered. The castle and its inhabitants had faded into obscurity in the decade since the events that had turned Regina into the monster she was, so she doubted that the woman had come intentionally seeking her. 

Emma, who had lived as a teapot for the decade since the second night that altered Regina’s own appearance, hesitantly approached her on her silver tray, steam starting to emit from her spout. “Just a moment, Your Majesty, this woman was attacked by a bear and couldn’t find anywhere else to stay. Surely, we should-“

“No,” Regina said, her voice quiet but deadly. Emma fell silent. “This woman has broken into my home, she does not deserve a hot dinner and a nice warm bed! If you insist that she stays, she is to be housed in the dungeons. Do I make myself clear?”

Nodding as much as her kettle form would allow, Emma sighed, her disappointment in Regina evident. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“P-please,” the woman begged as her chair was pulled back for her and she stood to follow Baelfire and Killian. A bag that was on her lap fell to the ground, its contents spilling out to cover the floor. “You c-can’t lock me up, I have a g-grandson, Roland, his birthday is in four days, and if I’m not back in two days with a p-present for him, my s-son will w-worry-“

Regina’s eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on the items that had spilled from the woman’s bag, specifically one item. It was little Henry’s ball, one that he had loved to drive his mother and Regina crazy with, bouncing it around the halls as Emma and the rest of the servants tried to clean. The color had not diminished with age, the bright red still making the toy immediately recognizable.

Breathing heavily, trying to rein in her anger, Regina turned to Baelfire and Killian. “I haven’t changed my mind. Take her to the dungeon. Someone who decided to steal from me doesn’t deserve to have somewhere nice to sleep. You’re lucky I’m not throwing you out so you can fend for yourself against the bears, you should be grateful.”

“I- I am,” the woman stammered. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

With a curtsy that due to either lack of practice or her age was clumsy, she followed Baelfire and Killian out of the room as Regina collapsed on a stool by the fire. What did the woman’s arrival mean? Would she still be left alone, ignored by the nearest village, or were her days of solitude and stealing happy endings from far-off villages a thing of the distant past?

She retrieved her mirror, the one gift the fairy had given her to see the world outside the palace walls, and asked it to show her the thief’s family. 

The glass clouded, then cleared to show a tall man with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes who was playing with a little boy who had a darker complexion and dark curly hair. 

Regina was transfixed by the scene before her. The man clearly loved his son and would do anything for his family. She wondered if his love would bring him to her castle, and what that would mean for the lives of all who resided there.

She had a sinking feeling that she was about to find out.

******** 

On the day that Ryleigh Locksley was due to return home, Robin was working in the garden when he heard a horse whinny from behind him. Turning around, he saw Phillippe, the horse that his mother had taken to the nearest town, come galloping towards him. 

“Hey, easy, boy,” Robin soothed the horse, reaching out to touch his black main and stroking his chestnut flanks. “What’s wrong?” Then, when he realized the answer to his own question, his face grew deathly pale. “Where’s Mum?”

He tied Phillippe to the fence post, then ran into the house, kneeling once he found Roland and taking him by the shoulders.

“Roland, I need you to pack a bag to stay with Granny. Can you do that for me, please?”

“Yes, Papa,” his son answered, a puzzled expression on his face. “But why?”

Robin bit his lip, wondering what to tell his son. He didn’t want to frighten him, but lying to him was out of the question. “Something’s happened to Mummum, and I need to go help her, all right?”

“Yes, Papa,” Roland replied. 

Robin let out a sigh of relief. “Good. Now run along and pack that bag so I can go help Mummum.”

Roland scurried off to his room as Robin frantically collected what he thought he would need. Food, water, a change of clothes, tools for starting a fire, and yes, more books than were perhaps wise, were packed in a saddlebag that he kept on a hook by the door, along with his cloak, which he draped over his shoulders as he walked toward his son’s room.

“Roland, are you ready?” he called.

“Yes, Papa!” Roland said eagerly as he bounded toward Robin, dragging a stuffed sack that was as big as he was behind him.

“Son, I don’t think you’ll need all of that to go stay with Granny, do you?” Robin said gingerly. He suspected that instead of clothes, the bag was filled with toys and books- while he was almost the spitting image of his mother, Roland was his father’s son, through and through, and could never go anywhere without at least three books in tow. Thankfully, his were at least significantly lighter than Robin’s, so they wouldn’t burden Phillippe more than was necessary. The toys, however…

“Yes I do, Papa!” Roland exclaimed excitedly. “Ruby wanted to play with some of them, and I wanted to show her and Granny all my new books so Granny can read them to me!”

His father groaned. He really was his papa’s son. Although he was only four, Roland could already read more than most children his age, and he took advantage of that skill at every available opportunity. “Roland, I think Ruby only needs to see a few of your books, and I’m sure Granny would love to read your books to you another time; she won’t forget, and neither will you. Pick three to bring her, and the rest will stay safe and sound here, all right?”

“Yes, Papa,” Roland sadly responded.

Once he had reproportioned his son’s belongings so that more toys and books stayed at home and more clothes were brought for his stay, the Locksley men were ready to set out. 

When Robin dropped his son off at Granny’s diner, after hugging and kissing his son goodbye, Robin watched as Roland ran up to the proprietor and her granddaughter Ruby. The older woman had tried to convince Robin that he should court her granddaughter, but Robin always declined. While he trusted Ruby to care for his son, which was no small accomplishment, the girl had a promiscuous personality once the diner had been closed for the night, a trait that he was not looking for in the woman who would be his life companion and Roland’s mother. 

“Where are you off to?” Granny asked him amidst the happy babbling of the four-year-old. “It’s not often we get to watch Roland, especially on such short notice.”

“My mother went to the next town to find a birthday present for Roland three days ago, and our horse returned without her,” Robin explained quietly, so his son wouldn’t overhear the worry laced through his voice. “I have to find her and bring her safely home.”

“Naturally,” Granny answered fondly, placing a hand on Robin’s shoulder. “Go. Roland will be safe and sound here with us until you return, no matter how long it takes.”

Robin bowed his head, thanked Granny, and walked out of the diner that doubled as an inn, his cloak sweeping the ground as he departed, leaving his son and everything he knew behind for adventure in the great wide somewhere. He only hoped that that adventure would one day lead him home.

******** 

Robin had decided to begin his journey by hiking through Sherwood Forest, deciding to preserve Phillippe’s strength for when he needed it most. 

As they hiked, Robin noticed that they were traveling ever deeper into Sherwood Forest. He had brought The Beast in the Beauty with him, and as he hiked with Phillippe by his side, he contemplated Isaac Heller’s theories.

Heller believed that the woman on the cover who was the subject of his book was a queen who was also a monster- there was no love in her heart for anyone by herself. Recalling one passage of the book, Robin found it hard to believe that it spoke the truth about the queen and her daily life:

Queen Regina’s atrocities increased after the death of her   
husband the king, so much so that she was called the Evil   
Queen. Taxes increased, and citizens of the surrounding   
villages claim to have seen her prowling through their   
streets long after children were tucked in their beds,   
kidnapping villagers by ripping out their hearts and using   
them to follow her willingly back to her castle, never to be   
seen again. Whether these townspeople become her   
servants or are killed in cold blood when the queen eats   
their hearts, we will never know.

Although he had grown up loving fantasy and all tales that spoke of heroes and villains, as an adult Robin was skeptical. As much as he had hated to admit it, events in his life, especially Marian’s death, had forced him to finally accept the fact that magic and fairy tales weren’t real. While he loved Roland, and was thankful for him every day because he wouldn’t have been able to push past his grief without knowing he had a son who was dependent on him to take care of him, Robin still found himself missing the life he and Marian had had before her untimely demise when Roland was born. Since her death, Robin had found it difficult to believe in happy endings, and had relied solely on Roland and Ryleigh, and his friendship with Belle, to find some semblance of happiness in his life again. Gradually, he had started to believe in happy endings again, but his childlike belief in true love and fairy tales was destroyed beyond repair.

But even if he did still believe in fairy tales, Heller’s tale was difficult to fathom. How could any human even contemplate ripping out someone’s heart, let alone have the gall to do it? And what really happened once the queen had someone’s heart? He had a hard time comprehending the image of the queen eating their hearts as Heller hypothesized. That cannibalistic act seemed too impossible for anyone to perform in real life. 

As night fell, Robin looked up to see a wrought-iron fence surrounding a castle five stories tall. The west wing of the castle was in ruins, the ceiling ripped away by an unknown force. Four towers, one at each cardinal point, reached to the sky, and Robin knew that they must have once been beautiful, but it looked like time and nature had eroded the structure so that only this shell of the palace’s former glory remained. 

Robin decided he would inspect the castle further in the light of day. He retreated into the shadows of the forest, set up camp, and fell asleep.

******** 

The first two days after Regina took the thief prisoner passed without incident. On the third day, Regina’s spies, servants of the castle who had been turned into ravens, reported that a man had come into the castle’s vicinity, and was making several circuits of the castle, as if looking for something, and he continued to do so for days afterward. The man must have come very close to the outer walls of the castle, for none of the castle’s inhabitants could go beyond a yard of the castle or risk being incinerated, vanishing into black dust. So the man must have been just outside the castle walls without her knowledge, a realization that infuriated Regina. All she wanted was to be left alone, with only her misery for company. She didn’t want or need any interference, especially from a man. 

Oh, but you do, remember? a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. Without a man, you’ll never break the curse that fairy placed on you.

Regina roared, the sound echoing in the empty chamber. She despised that fairy every day that she roamed these halls as a beast. There was no part of her that was grateful for anything the fairy had done to her.

That small voice interrupted her thoughts again. The fairy gave you a clue- remember? She said that your one chance at the possibility of love resided with a man who has a lion tattoo on his right forearm.

Regina paid no attention to her surroundings as she paced past Emma and the others, trying not to remember that fateful night a decade ago. Her? Love again? Even if she believed in the existence of the man with the lion tattoo, the memories of Daniel were still too fresh in her mind for her to even consider that anyone could take his place in her heart, be someone she could trust and rely on to be by her side no matter what happened. She doubted anyone would ever be there for her again, not after everything she had done.

But what should she do about the stalker currently making loops around her castle? Suddenly, a theory occurred to her, one that was so obvious that she was amazed she hadn’t thought of it before. With that, a flawless plan came to mind, one that would involve a little assistance. 

With that in mind, she swept down to the dungeons to set her plan in motion.

******** 

Robin had traversed the castle’s circumference countless times since his arrival three days before, gathering what little information he could from his scouting. The castle appeared to be deserted, save for the ravens that occasionally darted in and out of the castle’s highest windows. Despite the destruction that had befallen the castle, the building was a fortress unlike any of the castles Robin had seen in books.

On what must have been his hundredth trip around the castle’s perimeter, Robin spotted something bright red under the gate. Walking closer to inspect the object, he recognized it immediately. It was the scarf his mother had worn on the morning she had left. How he had missed it, Robin would never know, but he knew what his next step needed to be.

He walked around the castle to a wall of vines that covered the lowest section of the castle’s outer wall. He used the vines and the wall to slowly make his way to the top, swinging his legs over the ledge and repeating the process on the vines that thankfully coated the other side as well.

Once his feet landed on the hard stone that covered the courtyard, Robin hurried to the opposite side, too focused on his mission to pay attention to his surroundings. Before him stood a large oak front door with silver handles that opened outward.

He tried the doors, and found to his surprise that they were open. He slowly entered, using a torch that he found on a sconce in the entrance hall to light his way.

“Mum? Where are you?” Robin called, his voice echoing through the lofty, deserted halls.

Suddenly, he heard a noise not far from where he was standing. He walked down the corridor, then up a short flight of steps. 

When he opened the door at the top of the staircase, he saw a small circular room with a fireplace and a sofa that appeared to be comfortable. Approaching them, he heard a faint whimpering and when he caught sight of a familiar sky-blue cloak, he hurried over.

When he rounded the side of the chair, his eyes fell on the person sitting on the couch. This person was definitely too tall to be his mother.

“Sorry, I thought you were someone else-“ he started, but whatever he had originally wanted to say next died in his throat as he took in the scene in front of him.

His mother, bound, gagged, and clad in the blue and white gingham dress she had worn when she left their cozy cottage almost a week before, her hair matted and unkempt, was indeed standing in front of him, but she had been hidden by her cloak- which was being worn by someone that Robin still couldn’t see, as his or her back was turned. When Robin caught sight of them, the mysterious person ripped his mother’s heart from her chest.

“No!” Robin yelled, running forward to stand in front of his mother, holding his arms out to better shield her.

Only then could he see the features of the person that had previously eluded him, and when he did, he gasped, his heart breaking at the sight. 

He could now see that a woman stood in front of him. His mother’s cloak and the woman’s dress concealed most of her body, but what he could see of her skin was covered in scars from burns that were so bad that they looked like they had taken years to heal. The parts of her that were visible to him that weren’t covered in scars- all of her face except one cheek, parts of her arms, her hands, portions of her neck- were covered in fur, her fingers claws that were sharper than any fingernails he had ever seen.

The visage made his heart break for her. Of all the scenarios he had ever imagined to happen to a person, he had never imagined this. The combination of what she had endured due to circumstances both ordinary and what might have been magical was somehow more grotesque than anything that had ever happened in the books he had loved as a child. 

Some of his pity faded and horror consumed him when he caught sight of his mother’s heart clutched in her hand. At the sound of Ryleigh’s pleading whimpers and moans, Robin begged the woman before him, “Please. Whatever you’re about to do, please reconsider.” 

As her mouth opened to address him, his attention was drawn to the fangs that had replaced her teeth. She crossed her fur-lined arms. “And tell me, why should I? Why should I spare a common thief from the fate that befalls all who dare enter this castle?”

“What did she steal?” Robin queried. 

The mutated woman before him shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that she will not be stealing from my castle again after I’m through with her.”

“Let her speak for herself,” Robin challenged. “Surely, the accused always deserve to testify in his or her defense.”

“So demanding,” she tutted. “Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to, peasant?”

“No,” Robin replied quietly. 

“Well, you should not be addressing a queen in such a manner,” she revealed. “Particularly one who literally holds your mother’s life in her hand.”

“You are correct, Your Majesty,” Robin acknowledged, rapidly bowing low before her. “My apologies, I was not aware that I was addressing someone of such noble birth.”

“’Someone?” she scoffed, more skepticism emphasizing the last syllable than he had imagined a single person capable of. Her head lowered as she muttered, “I think that’s a bit of an overstatement, don’t you?”

“No milady, not in the slightest,” Robin told her honestly. “Each person, no matter what has befallen them or what scars they have, on their skin or otherwise,” his voice grew softer as her eyes hardened even more than they already were as she looked down to examine herself, “is, in fact, human, and therefore deserves a chance at happiness.” His voice broke as he observed tears filling his mother’s eyes as they filled his own. He had already had his shot at a happy ending, and he doubted a second chance was in the cards for him. It wasn’t likely he’d find that kind of love twice in one lifetime. 

“Show some respect. It’s ‘Your Majesty,’” she reminded him. “You’ve spent an incredibly long amount of time wasting my time on hopeless fantasies instead of defending your mother,” the queen snapped. “So, tell me- why should I spare her?”

“Please,” Ryleigh interjected. “I was only trying to have a present to bring back for my grandson! He’s about to be four, and a more precious little boy, you’ll never meet-“

“ENOUGH!” the queen bellowed. “Someone is going to pay the price.”

Robin sighed. He knew what he had to do. “She did this for my son,” he reminded the queen. “Please, let her return to care for him, and take me in their stead. It was, after all, something done for my son, and as his father, I’d like to atone for this misdeed.”

He observed the royal as she contemplated his offer. “Are you sure? What I’m going to do to you- it’s a life sentence, you’ll never return to them. Never see your son or mother, or anyone else you love, again.”

Robin swallowed hard. He certainly wouldn’t miss most of the townspeople, only Belle. But his mother and son were his entire world since Marian died, and he didn’t know how he would survive without all three of them. He told her this, deciding transparency was the best policy.

“Well, then,” she replied. “What’s your decision? Don’t dawdle, I don’t have all day.”

Ryleigh closed the distance between them. “Sweetie, don’t do this,” she implored. “Roland needs you so much more than he needs me. Who will teach him how to be an honorable man now?”

Robin embraced her, then turned to the queen, resolute. He nodded, a single sentence sealing the fate of his family forever. “Take me instead.”

“So be it.”

“NO!” his mother cried, embracing him as the cuffs disappeared from her wrists and reappeared on his own. “Robin, don’t do this, please!”

“Relax,” the nonchalant queen purred. “He’ll be fine. He’ll just forget you, your grandson, and your life together ever existed.”

Robin’s jaw dropped. He had expected imprisonment, even dismemberment- but losing his memories of the three people he loved more than anything else in the world seemed a fate worse than death.

He reached out for his mother, but with a blast, she was thrown across the room and through the doors, away from the queen, and away from him. 

“Take him to the dungeon,” the queen ordered. 

He saw a candelabrum and clock waddling toward him. “Your- Your Majesty,” the candelabrum stammered. “Surely, he deserves somewhere more comfortable?”

“No. Do as I say, while I decide what to do with him,” the queen demanded. 

“You’re- you’re not erasing my memories?” Robin asked, astonished at this display of generosity.

“Not today. Now take him, before I change my mind,” she demanded.

As he was escorted out of her presence, Robin pondered the puzzle that was the queen. He didn’t know what the future had in store for him, but he knew that if it involved this woman, it was bound to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It includes prompts 3, 65, 95, 122, 125, and 162 for OQ Prompt Party 2019! Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

When they brought him to the cell that would become his home for an indeterminate amount of time, the candelabrum and clock introduced themselves as Baelfire and Killian. They explained that their current forms reflected their personalities- Baelfire’s name suggested a candelabrum, and Killian’s love of the sea and using the sun to determine navigation and time justified his clock form.

Robin paced in his cell, mulling over the queen’s final revelations, and his decision to accept being the queen’s prisoner for as long as that lasted. Although he wanted to leave due to feeling betrayed because he thought that the queen would do something besides take his memories, his honor wouldn’t allow him to set even one foot out the door, and he’d absolutely prefer that he be here in place of his mother or son, but a part of him regretted his hasty decision-making.

After about five hours, the door opened, and the candelabrum and clock that had brought him to the dungeon entered.

“We’re here to take you to Her Majesty,” Baelfire told him. “Follow us, please.”

Reluctantly, Robin followed them to the throne room, a dark room with a tall ceiling. At the far end of the room sat a pair of thrones, only one of which was occupied. 

“How are you liking your accommodations, thief?” the queen asked.

“Far preferable to my future accommodations, milady,” he answered. “I am a man of my word, but if I’d known you planned to take my memories of the people I love, I wouldn’t have agreed to take my mother’s place, and found another way to save her from the fate you’ve sentenced me to in her stead. Nothing is worth losing my memories of her or Roland, or my late wife. To tell you the truth, I had expected to be beheaded or eaten; I feel a little betrayed that that isn’t the case.”

“The fate I sentenced you to is far kinder than remembering those you’ve lost, I did you a favor,” she shot back. “If you’re so eager to get back to them, why don’t you just leave?”

“Wh-What?” Robin stuttered, shocked. Was she serious?

“Leave. Don’t darken my doorway again,” the queen commanded.

Hardly daring to believe his good fortune, Robin did as she bade him, never glancing back as he hastened from her presence to find a horse and make his way home.

******** 

Regina sat in a stunned silence after the thief’s son left. She turned and fled to her chambers, snatching up the mirror to watch as he fled the castle so quickly it seemed he thought the hounds of Hell were dogging his every step. 

He traipsed into the forest, an unwise decision so soon after nightfall. And shouldn’t he know that? She had watched him and his son after his mother’s arrival at her castle, he frequented the forest with a regularity that other townsfolk meandered through their respective villages. It seemed that his desperation to get away from her and back to his mother and son were so great that he had thrown caution to the wind.

And truth be told, if she had been in his same situation, wouldn’t she have done the same for the two people she loved most? Although she and Daniel had never had the chance to make their bond official, and Henry was not her biological son, but Emma’s and Baelfire’s, she loved the child as if he was her own. She always had, and always would, and would do anything she could to ensure the boy and man’s safety. Both were so innocent, so pure, that someone wronging them was unthinkable. And while she couldn’t say the same of the woman who had stolen Henry’s ball, she couldn’t fault a blameless child any more than she could bring Daniel and Henry back into her life.

So, her heart softened toward him and she let him go for the sake of his son, and watched as he traversed the forest, pausing now and then, whether to make sure he was walking in the right direction or to listen for predators, she wasn’t sure. 

An hour into his journey, he encountered a pack of wolves, the drool salivating from their mouths a sure sign that they were hungry, and her former prisoner was the intended main course for their next meal. 

While she had no love for the father, the thought of his son being fatherless after the father in question defied his honor and her decree just so he could retain his memories of him had her sprinting from the room on all floors, thankful for the first time in a decade for the four paws that lent more speed to her pursuit than two hands and feet would have. She was going to find him, and make sure that sweet child was not left an orphan if it was the last thing she did.

******** 

Robin had been traveling for an hour when he heard howling not far from his location. He prayed that the wolves wouldn’t approach him, but all too soon, their howls were too close for comfort. 

He looked for a tree he could climb, but there were no trees with branches that were low enough, even if he stood on Phillippe’s back. And even then, what about Phillippe? He didn’t want to leave the family’s trusted steed behind, so he nudged Phillippe into a gallop in the hopes that he would outrun the wolves.

But it was no use. A few minutes later he could see a pack of ten wolves approaching, and he still urged his chestnut mare on, drawing his bow and an arrow from his back. 

If he said so himself, he thought he was using his arrows rather effectively- up until the point when one of the wolves managed to snatch his bow away with its teeth. 

Robin glanced around frantically, wondering what to do. The wolves were advancing, and he had nowhere to run- and even if he did, he was sure that the wolves would only come after him, and there would be no hope for his survival. 

At that moment, his captor appeared, sprinting on all fours to dive into the pack of wolves, claws lashing out left and right to ward them off, fighting them like her life depended on it. 

Robin took advantage of the burst of energy that her sudden appearance had given him to snatch his bow back from the clutches of the wolf’s jaws. 

He was letting arrows fly into the pack when suddenly Phillippe let out a whinny of alarm, rearing up on his hind legs and throwing Robin off. 

He landed with a hard thud on the ground, a sound that likely wasn’t heard by any other being around him, as the others were still immersed in their fight.

But he was wrong. Suddenly, he saw a paw reaching out to him, and the face of the queen as she growled, “Come on!”

He took her clawed hand, jumping up, but in the next second, he saw that helping him had cost them both dearly.

One of the wolves had sunk its teeth into his arm. Blood flowed profusely from the deep gash, filling Robin with dread- they weren’t out of the woods yet, and he worried that if he obtained more wounds, he would lose too much blood. He was starting to become dizzy from blood loss as it was.

But the queen had seen what had befallen him. She quickly tore a portion of her sleeve to wrap around the wound, tying it securely. She wrapped her arm, now exposed enough to see the tattoo of a feather on her burned flesh, around his waist and hauled him up with her onto Phillipe with a strength that likely came from the beast parts of her. He felt their velocity increase as she urged the stallion into a gallop, and they sped away from the wolves toward the safety of the castle.

******** 

Once her castle came into view, Regina immediately dismounted and picked up her prisoner, thankful twice in one night for the beastly tendencies that the fairy’s curse had bestowed upon her. Without them, it was unlikely she would have been able to drag the man, let alone pluck him off of his horse and carry him inside like a rag doll.

Baelfire and Killian saw her coming and rushed off, presumably to fetch medical supplies. “Bring everything to my chambers,” she called after them.

“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” Baelfire checked, flames flickering as he turned toward her. The staff were barely allowed into her room to clean, so she could understand his astonishment that she was asking them to be there now.

“That’s where the largest fireplace in the castle is located- therefore, it’s the warmest room,” Regina pointed out. “But I shouldn’t be explaining my decisions to a servant. Go, do as I say. Now, or you’ll pay the price.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty, right away,” Baelfire stumbled over his words and his feet as he hurried off to follow her orders.

Once in her chambers, she laid the prisoner on the chaise lounge by the fire. She wanted to get a closer look at his wound, but she didn’t dare remove the makeshift tourniquet until she had the supplies necessary to properly address his wound.

At that moment Baelfire and Emma appeared in the doorway, hurrying toward her with a basin filled with hot water from Emma’s spout and numerous cloths. Regina thanked them, an act that made their eyes widen with surprise. She hadn’t done something so humane as have proper manners since the sequence of events that had turned her into her current grotesque form. 

After telling her to call if she needed further assistance, they left, leaving Regina alone with her prisoner and her own restless thoughts. 

She prepared a cloth with the water Emma had provided, then slowly untied the makeshift tourniquet, instantaneously pressing the warm cloth to the wound to soak up and repress any blood that may try to flow from the opening. 

Suddenly, her eye caught something dark just below where she had tied the tourniquet, on the thief’s forearm. It was the lion tattoo, the sign she had dreaded for years, the mark that that fairy, Tinkerbelle, the one who had the audacity to curse her to this fate, had told her was the distinguishing characteristic of the one man who had any chance of falling in love with her and breaking the curse placed upon the castle and its inhabitants. 

Oh, how she so desperately wanted to walk away! To leave this room, and his life, and never look upon his face again! She had no need of a man who stalked her castle and whose mother stole from her. He didn’t treat her with respect either, always having the nerve to challenge her instead of treating her like the royalty she was. She didn’t need any man, but she especially didn’t need a man like that.

At the same time though, he was father to a little boy who would be orphaned without his father, not to mention devastated at the news of his passing. So with that in mind, she continued to treat him, using the magic she had harnessed during her decade of confinement to heal the worst of his injury. At the same moment that she was confident that the worst of the bleeding had ebbed away, the stalker (she refused to stop calling him that or “thief”, he stalked her castle for days, after all) regained consciousness. 

“Where are we?” he queried.

“My chambers,” Regina told him, slightly annoyed at having to explain this again. “It was the best option, it has the largest fire, and therefore, will warm you up the fastest. I’m sure you need it, you lost a lot of blood.”

The thief attempted to prop himself up on his elbows, then collapsed back on the chaise lounge in the position he had started with. He gazed at her, sapphire blue eyes filled with even more sincerity than they had contained when he was pleading with her to spare his mother. “Thank you- I don’t know your name, milady.”

Regina hesitated. To give him her name was to give him power over her, to build a familiarity she knew she didn’t want him to feel that he had with her. At the same time, though, the deep recesses of his eyes told her that for the moment, at least, his desire to know her name was innocent- he genuinely wanted to give her his thanks.

“Regina,” she supplied. “I’m… Regina. And I don’t remember you telling me yours, thief.”

A fire that she couldn’t explain fueled his gaze as he looked up at her. “It’s Robin,” he responded. “Thank you, Regina, for saving my life tonight. Your name suits you- the bold and audacious queen. Did your parents specifically name you that because they knew that one day, you would be queen?”

Her emotions, and by extension her expression, immediately soured. “That’s what she hoped, and people came up with less flattering monikers for me, but that didn’t come until later” she replied curtly.

His gaze softened even more as he pointed out, “That response makes it sound like that’s not what you wanted. What happened?”

The walls he had managed to chip away at with the chisel of his kindness immediately fortified themselves. “That’s none of your concern.”

His hands went up, the picture of surrender. “All right, I won’t ask. Just know that if you ever want to talk about that, or anything else, I’m always willing to listen. And if people saw you now, as I do, those monikers wouldn’t exist. They don’t for me, and I’ve only known you a day.”

“I doubt it- and even if they didn’t, for how long would it last?” she shot back skeptically. “I thought you were leaving.”

“That depends, milady,” he answered. “Are you still planning on taking my memories of my mother and son? My wife?” Through his voice she could hear the devastation that that act would cause him, and she relented, tired of assuming this persona.

“No,” she murmured. “No, I’m actually not.”

Apprehension clouded his eyes as he scrutinized her. “Are you certain? Because just this afternoon, you were willing to erase the very essence of who I am with one swipe of your hand. Or whatever method of magic you planned on using.”

“Yes, I’m certain!” she snapped, irritation making her voice rise several decibels. “I may not be the nicest creature- being- thing- you’ll ever meet, but I do keep my word, as much as possible, at any rate. And if you must know, before you so recklessly declared you didn’t want to be here, I had called you to my presence to tell you that instead of erasing your memories, as I do with all other trespassers, my plan is to force you to live with them- as a prisoner here, for the rest of your days.”

Instead of protesting her sentence, he simply nodded. “I expected that to be the alternative. If I’d known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have left. And to tell you the truth, I would much rather that be the punishment than your original castigation.”

“A fact that I still find puzzling,” Regina admitted. “What exactly can you gain by holding on to painful memories?”

He paused at that, his brow furrowed as he pondered. “If the tragedy also contained a happy ending, I’d think that would be worth remembering despite the pain.”

As she stood, she shook her head, baffled. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that, outlaw.”

“As I told you, milady, it’s Robin.”

He grabbed her hand, she assumed to help himself stand, and as he utilized it to pull himself up, his lips brushed the back of her hand. 

The glare she gave him could have scorched an entire village. “What was that?” she asked suspiciously.

“Apologies, milady, I was simply trying to stand.” But the look in his eyes was anything but apologetic, full of an emotion she couldn’t define.

“Maybe you should stay still then. I didn’t heal you for nothing, you know,” she informed him.

“Then why did you?”

She paused briefly, wondering how much of the truth she should reveal. “You’ll see,” she called over her shoulder as she walked out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains prompts 196, 29, 9, 48, 34, and 83 for OQ Prompt Party 2019. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Robin pondered his life in the month he’d been living at the castle, marveling at how his circumstances had improved dramatically since the day of his arrival. 

As a result of his extended stay and the persuasion skills of Emma, Killian, and Baelfire, Regina had given him a room that was as big as his cottage. Not only that, but it had a spectacular view of the forest, as it was high enough within the castle that from the windows, he could look through the tops of the trees and imagine what lay beyond the forest.

After going to the door and ensuring that he would not be disturbed, Robin extracted The Beast in the Beauty from the bag he had brought and looked at the woman he now knew to be his captor, her figure untarnished by scars or fur. 

He had realized just who he was dealing with from the moment he learned her name. He shook his head with annoyance as he flipped through the pages of the book, marveling at just how wrong Isaac Heller had been about her- the only fact in the book was the queen’s name. Contrary to what the author wanted his readers to believe, Regina was not a cannibalistic witch who had not a drop of compassion in her veins. In his time at the castle, he had learned that she was complicated, demanding, but never as cruel as the man who penned the novel made her out to be.

His musings were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. He opened it to find Emma, Killian, and Baelfire, and immediately invited them in.

“We have something we need to discuss with you,” Emma began. “Regina’s birthday is quickly approaching, and we-“

“Ahem, not ‘we,’ I did not have anything to do with this idea, I think it’s terrible, and you know exactly why.” Baelfire interjected.

“Anyway,” Emma continued. “We want to find a way to mark the occasion, and we wondered if you could help. If you want to, of course.”

“Of course, I would,” Robin instantly acquiesced to their request. “Maybe we could have a party for her?”

Emma nodded enthusiastically. “That’s a great idea! We’ve had so little to celebrate in the last several years that I think a party is exactly what we need.”

For the rest of the afternoon, they planned the details. Robin hoped that Baelfire was wrong, that Regina would enjoy her party- because he dreaded to think about what would happen to them all if she didn’t.

******** 

“What you deserve, Regina, is happiness. To have what you want.”

Regina scoffed. “No, I don’t. Haven’t you heard? I’m a villain, and villains don’t get happy endings.”

Robin cocked his head to the side, appraising her. “Villains can change, though. And from where I’m standing, the compassionate woman who spared my memories isn’t a villain. Not completely, anyway.”

Regina groaned. “Then stand somewhere else. Because it’s obvious that you’re not seeing things clearly.”

He had the audacity to lean forward, cupping her hairy cheek in his hand. “Or maybe I just need to persuade you to see yourself the way I do. Despite the scars, despite the curse, every part of you is beautiful.” 

With that, he closed the remaining gap between them and kissed her, and Regina couldn’t help but hope that maybe the man with the lion tattoo was the one who could fall in love with her and break the curse after all.

Regina woke on her birthday, the day she dreaded most every year, and immediately wished she was still asleep. 

Although even her dream state wasn’t an ideal place to be this morning, as her mind had betrayed her with those visions of Robin. The man whose optimism she found insufferable on a daily basis had invaded her dreams in a vision that was either the best dream she had ever had or her worst nightmare, she couldn’t decide which. Over the last month, she and Robin- she called him that in her head, but still insisted on calling him outlaw or thief to his face- had gotten into more verbal sparring matches than she can count, him always advocating for whatever course of action or opinion was the most hopeful, while she supported the path that led to doom and destruction. In the moments of silence that filled the rest of her days as she wandered the castle, she reluctantly admitted to herself that she enjoyed these conversations, the fact that he had the courage to stand against her a novelty in her life surrounded by obedient servants.

For the rest of the day, she’s haunted by the ghosts of the past. They surround her, the memories an invisible vise that suffocated her: every kiss she had shared with Daniel, every one of Henry’s giggles as she won yet another tickle fight, among countless others that made up the period of time they had together that was all too short.

She knew she shouldn’t feel as devastated about Henry’s death- he was Emma and Baelfire’s son, after all- but the five years that his joyful shouts had filled the castle corridors had been the happiest times she had ever spent within its walls. Although she and Emma weren’t what most people would consider friends, she had seen the way Regina’s eyes lit up when Henry was first passed into her arms, and from that day on, she had never been far from him, even having the honor of being a part of his bedtime routine on a regular basis and having responsibility for him whenever Emma wanted time to herself.

As she walked down to dinner that night, Regina heard excited voices whispering in the grand hall. Why had they come? In the days before Robin’s arrival, she had always eaten alone. Since Robin’s arrival, that had changed, as he would sometimes dine with her, and other times with the staff. But there was no reason for there to be so much chatter behind the closed doors.

When she opened them, she barely registered the presence of each member of the staff and Robin before they all shouted, “SURPRISE!” 

She looked around the room in shock. They had decorated with candles on every available surface and placed bouquets of flowers around the room. The table was laden with each of her favorite dishes, but all the sight did was make her sick to her stomach.

“Your Majesty, it’s your birthday, so you get three wishes-“ Emma began, but Regina didn’t stay to hear her finish her sentence. She turned and fled, as thankful for her animalistic velocity as she had been on the night she rescued Robin from the wolves, her limbs taking her to her room, where she was sure no one would disturb her.

How dare they do this to her? How dare they! Apart from Robin, they all knew what this day meant to her, what significance it had. She couldn’t believe that instead of allowing her to mourn in peace, they had arranged this setup, this surprise, likely in the hope of trying to tell her that “the joy one finds in life is paid for by suffering that comes later, just as sometimes, the suffering is redeemed by a joy unexpected,” a quote from one of Emma’s favorite books. 

She stormed into her room, walking toward the balcony. She just wanted to feel the night air, something that had a hope of distracting her from how miserable her life was. Memories of Henry and Daniel still gripped her, the wind doing nothing to soothe her.

A few minutes later, she heard her door open and before she knew it, she could feel someone standing behind her. “What do you want?” she snapped.

“To ask you why you ran off. And to offer a listening ear, if you need one.” The voice of that awful thief answered. She should have known it was him, the scent of forest was everywhere, assailing her nostrils. 

She turned to fix him with one of her sternest glares. “Emma said I have three wishes, right?”

He nodded.

“Well, maybe one of those wishes is that everyone leaves me alone for the rest of the night. So leave, thief, before I do something more than just throw words at you.”

She turned her back on him, facing the forest and wallowing in her grief. After several moments spent in silence, she realized she didn’t want him to leave. She turned to him. “Why haven’t you left yet?”

“You said one of your wishes might be to be left alone. Not that it actually was. So I stayed, just in case. I don’t know the others’ motives in throwing you the party, but I just wanted to see you smile.”

She sighed. Why must this thief be so incessantly kind? She had certainly done nothing to deserve it. 

At last, she let out her breath in a huff, telling him. “Fine. My first wish is for you to listen, without judgement, to my story. If you get in the way of me telling you this, I’ll never tell you anything in confidence again.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Robin assured her, gesturing with his hand for her to continue. 

******** 

Robin moved forward to stand beside the queen at the edge of her balcony, waiting for her to speak.

“Ten years ago today, I was living my dream. My husband, the king, had died, and I was finally able to be with Daniel, the castle’s stable boy, the man I truly loved. We even had a son of sorts, H-Henry,” here her voice faltered, and his guess was that she was choking back a sob. “He was Emma and Baelfire’s son, but she let me help take care of him because when he was born, the king was still alive, so I only had stolen moments of happiness, so she let me have some of those moments with him.”

Robin wanted to chuckle at her phrasing given what she always called him, but bit his lip to keep silent. He had wanted to know the truth of her story for too long to do anything that would make her cease in the retelling of her tale.

“On my birthday, one of the servants- I never found out who- accidentally dropped a torch and set fire to a curtain, which, as I’m sure you’ve seen, destroyed large portions of the west wing. Everyone else made it to safety, but H-Henry and D-Daniel and I- we had been playing hide and seek in that part of the castle, and-“ 

She lifted a hand to wipe away the tears that were falling down her cheeks, but Robin beat her to it. He gently reached out two fingers to wipe away her tears. She nodded- which was likely all the thanks he would ever get- then finished her story. “Daniel shouted for me, and I found him- not without the fire leaving its marks, as you can see. But Henry- he was hard of hearing, he couldn’t hear us, so Daniel went b-back in to look for him, and- and-“

Robin nodded solemnly. She didn’t need to finish; he already knew. She had lost Daniel and Henry the same way he had lost Marian: irreparably, suddenly, so fast that he had barely taken their son into his arms before she was lost to him forever. 

He decided to comfort her by telling her some of the tale, so that she wouldn’t feel so alone, and know that someone understood. 

“I lost Roland’s mother too, the day he was born,” he disclosed. “My Marian was so gentle and caring, full of love for everyone she met. Roland’s birthday is both a joyous and heartbreaking occasion because it’s also when I lost her when she died in childbirth. And Roland himself looks so much like her, it’s hard some days not to fall apart remembering her- but then I think that she’s living on in a way, in Roland. Maybe you can think of Emma and Baelfire in that way, maybe that will ease some of your distress.”

Her gaze met his, understanding in her eyes, before she turned away. “Doubtful. It’s been ten years, and it never fades. And to add to that- well, look at me and think about what I’ve done. The combination drives people away, and the staff barely tolerate me now, so I’ll never have what I had with Henry and Daniel again.”

“You will,” Robin refuted adamantly, taking her hand- which he always thought of as a hand, even though more of it was covered with fur than not. He rubbed the back of her hand soothingly with his thumb. “Why don’t you start with a friend? There’re few things I’d love more than to be a friend to you, someone you know you can confide in when days are rough and rejoice with when life goes your way.”

She chuckled darkly. “The latter is few and far between. You really think we can do this? That I can be loved, despite everything, even in the platonic sense?”

He nodded. “I do.”

She looked away, out over the forest before them, seeming to ponder his offer of a shoulder to lean on. “Fine then, have it your way. My second wish of the evening is for us to be- friends.” She said the word so hesitantly that Robin wondered if she had ever had any friends.

He smiled. “Perfect. And the third?”

She was still for a few moments. Then, so quietly he wasn’t sure if he had heard her, she whispered, “Comfort me, Robin.”

Robin wasn’t sure if he had heard her correctly- especially the second his name fell from her lips. He took a chance and put his arms around her.

The second his arms surrounded her, fireworks went off in front of them, mirroring how he felt holding her. His hands were placed where he could feel the seamless transition between fur and skin, and he pulled her closer when she tensed, hoping to show her through everything he did that she was worthy of every kind of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains prompts 64, 96, 146, 141, 74, 114, 188: fireworks, and 4 for OQ Prompt Party 2019. Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think! The quote in the story is from James A. Owen's Here, There be Dragons.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new cover art for this story is a manip created by the wonderful hopefulfeathers! This chapter contains the prompts a journey, haunted castle, and a child for Spooky OQ 2019. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

The first thing Robin did the following morning was seek out Emma in the kitchens. 

The tea kettle was supervising the preparation of breakfast, barking out orders like the captain of an army. And Robin supposed the various enchanted people did look like an army to some degree, the line of utensils standing at attention on the stove too organized to warrant any other comparison. “Might I have a word?” Robin requested.

The minute she saw Robin, Emma told them, “Carry on,” and came over to him. “Good morning, Robin, what can I do for you?” she asked as she led him into the pantry.

“Why did you do it?” a flabbergasted Robin demanded once the door was closed behind them, not bothering to explain what he was talking about. “You knew that day was the worst day of her life, and it should be yours too. How could you just ignore it? You lost your son that day!”

“That’s exactly why I did it,” Emma responded quietly, drops of steamy water sliding down her kettle form. 

Robin quickly realized they were tears and reached out to wipe them away, but she hopped out of his reach. “I know Henry wouldn’t want any of us to be miserable on any day that makes us think of him. I know it weighed on the queen the most- after all, she had almost no one who she believed loved her before Henry was born. Only Daniel. But it’s been a decade, and while I can understand that she still mourns him, she should have a chance to not dwell on her despair for a minute and realize what she has right in front of her.” Here she gave Robin what seemed to be a smile and a wink, so that Robin knew exactly what she meant. 

“Me? You really think I can help her find joy in life again?” Robin asked disbelievingly. The teapot’s proposition was dependent on Regina’s attitude toward him on a given day. And while he hoped that he was making progress toward gaining her trust, he doubted he had any kind of real influence over her.

“Why not?” Emma questioned with her equivalent of a shrug. “I lost all rapport with her the minute Henry was gone. And you share a connection with her that I never could- I’ve never lost the love of my life. Both of the men I’ve loved in my lifetime are right here.”

Robin pondered her statement for a moment. While it was true that they shared that connection, he didn’t know if it would be enough to persuade her to let him in. But as Emma had pointed out, if he couldn’t help Regina, who could? While it was a tall order to put on one man’s shoulders, there was no one else who stood a chance of getting through to her. She never acknowledged the staff beyond a barked order in their direction, meaning that it was unlikely that she would listen to a word they said. They had been trying for a decade, after all, and it was clear to Robin that their efforts had not been fruitful.

“All right,” he finally agreed. “I’ll try. But as you know, she’s been through a lot, so I can make no promises other than that I’ll do what I can.”  
“That’s all I’m asking,” Emma replied with a small smile. “Thank you.”

Later that day, Robin waited in the main dining room, the same room Regina had fled from the night before, for her to dine with him. The room had been stripped bare of the decorations that had adorned it the night before, and Robin hoped that that would help appease Regina. He hadn’t seen her all day, and was concerned about her. Not that he hadn’t seen her; that was understandable, given the size of the castle. But he was worried that the memories of the day before had come back to haunt her, and she was sequestered on her own, the castle as haunted as she was by the ghosts of the past, with no one to ease the suffering that had happened within its walls.

Not that she needed help. Regina was the most resilient person Robin had ever known. The pain she must have endured on the night she lost Daniel and Henry would have been crippling for anyone- or at least, it would be for Robin. He had barely survived Marian’s death, he couldn’t imagine if he had had to face the death of both his wife and son.

He was torn from his thoughts when Regina finally stormed sulkily into the room. Her demeanor immediately put Robin on red alert. This was not the same woman with a tearstained face that he had comforted the night before. Instead of a raging flood, Regina was a burning flame, A fire blazed in her eyes, warning him of what would happen should he dare to try to get any closer to her. Even her clothes were unwelcoming, an ebony black that matched her mood. The eyes that had been full of tears the night before were now closed off, an impenetrable wall built between the queen and the world.

Robin yearned to find out what was wrong and soothe her if he could, but he wasn’t sure that was the wisest course of action. Still, he couldn’t bear to see her this way, and Emma’s words from earlier that day echoed in his ears. If there was ever a doubt in his mind that Regina needed someone to be on her side, those doubts had been demolished in the last twenty-four hours. Additionally, he had promised that he would be a friend to her, and offering a listening ear was what a friend would do, right?

“Your Majesty?” he asked tentatively. “What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do?”

“I’ll tell you exactly what you can do,” she snapped back. “Leave me alone. Or better yet, go home. Go back to your tiny little village with your mother and son. I’m sure they miss you, and you’re of no use here.”

Robin was taken aback. He had wondered if her attitude toward his offer of friendship would change in the light of day, but he had never anticipated that it would change so drastically that she would make the suggestion that he return to Roland and his mother. “Are- are you sure?” He wanted to add Are you sure this isn’t just a mechanism for you to guard your heart?, but knew that any evaluation of her emotions would warrant a rapid-fire comeback.

He said softly, “If you just need someone to talk to, I’m here. That’s what friends are for, after all.” He wasn’t completely sure she knew that- from the little he knew of her story, he suspected that Daniel had been one of her few friends, or possibly the only one. She might need the reminder that a friend would always be there for her, whether she wanted support or not.

“I don’t need your friendship- you’re just a filthy villager who has ludicrous romantic ideas that are far from what reality looks like,” she retorted, and while he knew that each word was just another wall she thrust between them, that he shouldn’t take it seriously, the comment still stung. 

“Ahh, but you haven’t yet asked me to go home again,” Robin pointed out. “So that might mean that you secretly like having me here. So I’m staying.”

For a fleeting second, he saw something in her eyes that looked like relief. His resolve renewed, he informed her, “I can be just as stubborn as you, milady. You won’t win this argument so easily.”

“Fine,” she retorted. “Stay, have it your way. But don’t expect me to be civil, you’ve brought this on yourself.”

“Sounds fair,” Robin shrugged. He knew that he could persuade her to change her mind, but he wouldn’t be able to do that if she sent him home. So he would stay for as long as it took to soften Regina’s heart and make her believe in happy endings again.

*******

Regina threw the doors to her room open, quickly making her way to the balcony that surveyed the forest surrounding the castle. She was still fuming from her confrontation with the thief. How did he have the guts to stand up to her in a way that no one else dared to? 

She had woken that morning and immediately regretted the events of the night before. How had she been so gullible as to agree to the thief’s friendship? As her mother had told her, love is weakness- and she had made it clear throughout Regina’s life that this mantra encompassed every kind of love, even love for her own daughter. Growing up, the only loving memories that Regina had from either of her parents were the moments she spent with her father, which were few and far between.

And then Daniel had come into her life, and turned it upside down. Her time with Daniel, and then Daniel and Henry, had easily been the happiest of Regina’s life. That Robin had dared to suggest that she could have the semblance of that again through his friendship was ridiculous. She didn’t need anyone, she had already had happiness and it had been snatched away from her in the blink of an eye. She was toxic; everyone who came into contact with her ended up being torn from her at a later date. Through that, she had finally learned her lesson: to not trust anyone, not let anyone into her heart. So the fact that Robin had managed to coax some of her secrets out of her was devastating, despite the fact that Daniel’s last wish had been that she love again.

She contemplated the development of Robin’s refusal to leave. She knew the thief well enough to know that he would stand by his word; that he wouldn’t leave the castle, no matter what she threw his way. So maybe- just maybe- she could test his offer of friendship, find out just how genuine he had been with that proposal the night before.

********

Two weeks later, Robin sat looking at Heller’s book grinning to himself and shaking his head as he flipped through the pages. He should have thrown the book away long ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.   
Although it was full of lies about Regina, it also contained the only pictures of her that he had, and if she ever did throw him out of her castle- a likely outcome if she ever found the book in his hand- he wanted to know that he still had a way to look at her, even if she didn’t look the same without the fur and burns that he was so accustomed to. One thing was for sure though: no matter how much he begged, he would not allow Roland to know the contents of the book. Not only was the book full of lies, but those lies would scare his child to the point that Robin was sure that he would have nightmares for weeks.

Looking down at a particularly vile passage, he flipped the book over and threw it on his bed. He left the room, on a mission to find Regina, who was more human and far more complex than Heller gave her credit for.

He found her in the great hall of the castle, supervising its cleaning. In the days since her birthday, she had become even more reserved. All of his attempts to get her to talk to him had been futile, but he didn’t consider them a waste. Although he still missed Marian and knew that he would never have that love again (his happy ending was Roland, he didn’t need to fall in love again), he believed that it was possible for Regina to have her happy ending, whatever that looked like for her.

She looked over when she heard him approach, but didn’t give him the courtesy of a greeting, instead ordering a maid to, “Sweep every last corner, we don’t want dust gathering in this castle, do we?” 

Robin shook his head as the frightened maid scurried away. “You know, it’s far easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar,” he reminded her. “Your staff may react differently if you nicely ask them to do things instead of scaring them half to death.”

Her eyes betrayed how conflicted she was before she seemed to regain her composure and rebutted, “Who are you to tell me how to run my castle? Last I checked, I am the monarch, I don’t need a pathetic thief to tell me what to do.”

Robin’s only response was to shake his head in amusement. Ever since the day following her birthday, Regina had done nothing but push him away. He had met every attempt with an even firmer desire to help her, to somehow regain her trust and bring back the vulnerable, strong, loving queen he had known on the night of her birthday. Because he knew that what he had seen that night had been the real Regina, untethered by any of the walls that she protected herself with, and to him, being privileged enough to experience that side of her was nothing short of a miraculous gift that he would treasure forever.

“What?” she shouted. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“No, I’m not going to rise to the challenge,” Robin chuckled. “Have a good remainder of your day, milady.”

“It’s Your Majesty,” she called after him as he walked away.

********

 

Later that day, Robin was in his room, The Beast in the Beauty in hand. He was about to put it away when he heard a knock on his door. 

He gave his permission for his guest to enter, and to his surprise, Regina walked in. Seeing the book, she asked, “What’s that?” 

“Nothing,” Robin replied speedily, hiding the book behind his back. “What can I do for you, Regina?”

“For one thing, you can call me ‘Your Majesty,’” she informed him. “You can also show me whatever it is you’re hiding. I have a right to know the things that come into and out of this castle. And I was going to ask if you would help the servants cook dinner, because although the teapot’s a passable cook, what I requested tonight isn’t her best dish, so she can use all the help she can get.”

Robin was a little miffed that she would place him in the same category as Killian, Baelfire, and the other people who worked at the castle, but didn’t let his vexation show. “As you wish, Your Majesty,” he responded, bowing before her. 

When he came up, he saw a repulsed, horrified expression cement itself on Regina’s otherwise lovely face. “What is that?” she asked in a menacing tone.

Robin grimaced. When he decided to bow, he had forgotten that the book was behind his back. What was he going to do now? 

The dilemma was taken out of his hands by Regina, who sent a lasso of fire his way that wrapped around the volume in his hand. As the ring pulled the book out of his grasp and toward Regina, the flames licked his hand, leaving behind burns that he knew would fade with time, but in the moment were so badly inflamed that he sank to his bed, clutching his hand and looking around for the pitcher of water that he kept in his room.

His objective was forgotten, however, when he heard Regina’s gasp. He hurried over to her, rushing to explain, “I found it in a bookstore, I don’t believe a word of it-”

“Yes, you do!” the distressed queen exclaimed. “How else can you possibly explain this? You have a book that’s all about me, and wanted to see if this supposedly omniscient author was telling the truth about me!   
Well, I’ll tell you one thing, thief, you can have your precious book and your life back, because I never want to see your smug presence in my castle again! Go, tell everyone all about the beast that lives within these walls all you like, I don’t care.”

Robin frowned, certain that she was just putting up defenses to protect her heart, an action that she believed was essential to her survival, but in reality would never be necessary around him. 

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” he pondered softly. Maybe getting her to question her motives would convince her to allow him to stay at the castle. He had a promise to keep, and he wasn’t willing to leave the castle until he had fulfilled it. 

“Yes. I am. Now leave, before you return to your precious family more harmed than you already are.”

Robin thought quickly, trying to come up with a plan. He knew one of her weaknesses, something she couldn’t resist, no matter how hard she tried. If he left, it was possible that he could return and use this weakness to soften her heart, help her open up to him. He suspected that should he return and enact his plan, she would be unable to resist opening her heart, which would bring them one step closer to breaking the curse placed upon her.

“All right,” he agreed, feigning reluctance and fighting to suppress a triumphant grin. “If that is what you want, I’ll leave.”

“As you should,” she muttered. “Now pack your things.”  
“As you wish, Regina,” he acquiesced, 

He did as she requested once she stormed out of his chambers, quickly packing his few belongings in his satchel.

As he walked toward the front doors, he was waylaid by Emma, Killian, and Baelfire. “Robin, where are you going?” the cook demanded. “You aren’t leaving, are you? You promised you would stay, help her see she can be loved, break the curse…”

“I know, but she asked me to leave, and under the circumstances, to some degree I don’t blame her,” Robin informed her. Lowering his voice in case the queen could hear him, he added, “Don’t worry though, I have a plan. I’ll be back in no time, and I promise, I will do everything I can to help her.”

He could see that Emma and KIllian wanted to protest, but one look into his earnest eyes silenced whatever arguments they were going to utilize to convince him to stay. “All right mate,” Killian said firmly. “Do what you need to do.”

With that, Robin walked out of the castle and began his journey home. 

At the last second, he looked back and thought he saw the shadow of a figure watching him go. Does she regret asking me to leave? he wondered. 

He smiled to himself. Little did she know that he would return, and sooner than she anticipated.

********

Regina stood at her balcony, watching Robin walk away from her castle. The part of her that had once been softened by Daniel’s love was screaming at her to go after him, but the part that had been hardened by first her mother, then Rumplestiltskin reminded her that love is weakness, and she hardened her resolve. What would a peasant like Robin ever have to offer her?

Love, Daniel’s beloved voice echoed in her ear. Although he had never voiced his affection- the threats of her mother and the king looming over their heads left little time for those three little words, and the few times he had tried, she had used various methods to silence him. Even after the king’s death, she feared that the worst would happen, but everything he said and did had shown her how he felt about her.  
The closest he had ever gotten to revealing his feelings had been as the flames of the fire that claimed his life raged around them. He had told her to love again, a dying wish that she knew she could never grant. 

So in the weeks since her birthday, she had used any means necessary to turn Robin away from her, but to no avail. Each time she lashed out at him, the only response she received was a conceited smirk. It was almost like Robin knew exactly what she was doing, and was determined to make her change her mind, to be the weak fool who had told him her secrets again. 

And then she had found that awful book. Who did this Isaac Heller think he was, thinking he knew her well enough to write a book about her, and worse, distribute that piece of garbage to the masses? One look at the page Robin had opened the book to had told her everything she needed to know, the passage she had seen making her stomach churn:

The monster that was once Queen Regina did not 

spare any innocents in her quest to ruin the lives of 

those around her. She even kidnapped children and, 

like tales of witches before her, fattened them to feed 

to her dogs…

The implications of the arrogant author’s words made Regina see red long before she had finally stopped reading. What kind of author was this Heller, writing these things about her without ever doing his research? She would never, ever harm any children. They were innocent, after all, far more than their parents often were. She had never once taken a child’s memories, preferring instead to take the happy endings of adults who were unfortunate enough to cross her path.

But Heller had claimed otherwise, and judging by the fact that he owned this book of lies, Robin, the one person she had dared to trust with her secrets in years, believed every word of it. The thought made her blood boil.

So when he had initially refused to leave, she knew that she had to use any means necessary to eradicate the disease that was his constant hope and happiness from her life forever. And to her eternal relief, it had worked. 

At the sound of someone approaching her chambers, she turned. “What are you doing here?” she demanded of the teapot that was in her doorway.

“Just- I saw Robin on his way out,” Emma tentatively began. “Are you sure that sending him away was the right thing to do?”

Regina made a ball of fire, turning the book in that hand to ashes. “Not that it’s any of your concern, Miss Swan, but yes, I’m positive. You forget your place- I am the queen of this castle.”

Emma seemed skeptical and unperturbed by the words that were meant to harm her. “But Regina, he could have-”

“Don’t you dare try to tell me what he could and couldn’t do! Clearly, if you thought he would be the one to break the curse, you were wrong. He had no interest in me whatsoever, all he wanted was to make me the most feared being in all the kingdom.”

“Are you sure?” Emma asked. “Because that doesn’t sound like the Robin I know. And no matter how this curse altered you, Regina, you are human, whether you think others believe that or not.”

The cook left her then, and to Regina, the silence was a breath of fresh air. She didn’t need any of Emma’s hope speeches. She had had more than enough of those from Robin in the time she had known him. All she wanted was to be left alone with her memories of Daniel and Henry- the only ones who had ever truly loved her. 

Her traitorous thoughts returned to Robin. Was Emma right? Was there a chance that her reassessment of his character had been inaccurate? She had a feeling that she would never know, As a man of his word, it was unlikely that he would ever return to her castle- and while she was grateful for that (the cover of that detestable book was still in her mind’s eye), a miniscule part of her- so tiny it was hardly worth mentioning- wondered if Emma was right; that she had thrown her last chance at happiness away.

For while he was irritating beyond belief and she would never tell him this, she enjoyed their banter. He was one of the few to challenge her in a way that made her eager to match his arguments with her own. It pushed her intellect in a way that no one had done before, not even Daniel. 

She looked out into the forest around her. Had she just sent away her second chance at happiness? And even worse- would she regret her potentially rash actions for the rest of her life? Only time would tell.

********

As Robin approached the edge of the forest, he could see his house through the thinning trees. The familiar sight, instead of calming him, filled him with apprehension. How would Ryleigh react when she learned that he would be leaving again so soon? All she knew of Regina were the characteristics that Heller would have described as “beastly,” so she was unlikely to take the news that someone in her family was returning to the castle well.

As he walked into his backyard, he heard a timid whisper: “Papa?”

‘Roland!” Robin’s smile was as wide as it could get as he held his arms out to his hesitant son. “It’s Papa, don’t be afraid. I know it’s been a long time, but it’s really me, I promise.”

The sound of his voice seemed to do the trick. Roland rushed into his arms, and Robin held him tightly. Despite the circumstances that had brought him here, he was glad to have his child in his arms again. 

“It’s all right, my boy,” Robin said, attempting to soothe the sobs that his son couldn’t suppress. “I’m home, but I won’t be here for long. I need to help someone.”

“What?” the stunned voice of his mother asked. Robin looked up at her with trepidation, but knew that no matter what, he had to return to Regina and fulfill his promise. He had to make her whole again.

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter contains prompts 40 (loosely) and 146 for OQ Prompt Party 2019. Enjoy, and I'm excited to hear what you think!!!


End file.
